Saturday, May 24, 2008

(This post could be muuch longer. Plus, it may be a bunch of baloney. Sometimes I like to write things out to see how I feel about them...)

I believe that if a person isn't a fan of a particular subject, they only have a set amount of room in their brain for it. For example, I'm not really interested in vehicles types. To me there are cars, trucks, and vans (and maybe SUV's). To the general public, superheroes are the same way. They only have room for so many categories in their heads.

The three most famous superheroes cover the three distinctive looks mask-wise. Often superheroes "icons" are discussed as what type of character they are, but people are so visually based, I think the superhero's looks has a great deal to do with their fame. If Spider-Man looked like Peter Parker with a "Robin" mask, would he had become as famous? I personally don't think so.

You might argue that other memorable heroes also have partial masks. Captain America does. Wolverine does (or, sometimes, no mask). Powers and personalities aside, I would maintain that it's not their masks that allow their fame. They would both merely be "Batman" if they didn't have the notable accessories of a shield and claws, respectfully.

When I think of other rather famous heroes, they also fall into unique visual "categories". Hulk covers the "monster" category. Wonder Woman covers "females". (Sorry, but superheroes seem to be a boy's club. If you don't accept that, you could put her in a "tiara" category, I suppose.)

Can Iron Man obtain major, long-lasting fame? Maybe. We really don't have a hero in the "robot" category yet. (Well. if he isn't overshadowed by Transformers.)

I believe it would be difficult to create a new, enduring, famous hero without creating a new "category". Does have Thor (and his hammer) have a chance? With the right presentation, the Human Torch might have a shot. (Or is he merely "monster"?) For a new character to hit it really big, he would have to have an entirely new look. Something like a headless midget. I don't think that category is taken.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Well, maybe not. I'm just surprised that we don't have two different (common) names for a dandelion in it's yellow form and another for a dandelion in it's fluffy form. If you tell an artist to draw "a dandelion," it's uncertain which you'll get.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Even though it doesn't hit the stores until July, Halo and Sprocket: Natural Creatures has its first review up at Comics Worth Reading.

A big thanks to Johanna Draper Carlson who writes, "This is truly a comic that anyone can enjoy. The humor comes naturally, and the character interactions have surprising depth." and "I always come away from this comic with a new perspective on life."In the comments section, she takes the blame for calling the book "Natural Causes" instead of "Natural Creatures". No need for that, Johanna. PREVIEWS actually has it listed as "Natural Causes". Not quite sure how that happened...

Saturday, May 10, 2008

The only sound that most Pokemon creatures make is that of repeating their names.If I were to ever create a Pokemon character, I would make one with a head ornamentation that looks a bit like an ax. I would then name it, "It hurts", or rather, "Itherts." He's not really in pain, of course. It would just be funny when he says his name.

Btw, I've based this creature on an baby aye aye. I've always thought all baby mammals were cute. I was wrong. Google baby aye aye images if you want to be horrified.

Saturday, May 3, 2008

I’m actually a fan of Green Lantern, but you have to admit the name is kind of silly. A lantern doesn’t exactly strike awe in the minds of most people. If someone today created a hero named the Blue Flashlight, you probably wouldn’t be too impressed.

I don’t know if it’s ever been addressed in the comic, but since the Green Lanterns are of alien origin, I like to think that the name just didn’t translate well into human terms. It probably sounds really cool in its tongue of origin.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

I read that Marvel is coming out with a Marvel Apes comic. I did a Marvel ape once...

A couple of years ago, when I was unsure I would be able to continue to draw Halo and Sprocket, I decided to submit a Spider-Ham idea to Marvel. I thought of new, animals names for most of the Marvel Universe. I created the Oranguthing. (I believe in the original Spider-Ham books, the Thing was merely called the Thang.)

In my story, all the mutants were Egg-Layers, while the rest of the world were Mammals. It made the naming of the characters tougher, but I was happy with the results. In Marvel's version, the X-Men were called the X-Bugs. In my version, they were the Eggs-Men. They were lead by Prof. Eggs, a bald eagle nested in a wheelchair. I don't usually say this about my own work, but there were a lot of things to like about my proposal. Marvel, however, didn't bite. Below is a piece of my cover letter...

A few months after I sent in my proposal, I noticed there was a Ghost Rider TP released called "Vicious Cycle." (I do truly believe, however, that this was a coincidence.)

It still blows my mind that Marvel isn't capitalizing on Spider-Ham characters. There are more and more "cute" Marvel toys coming out everyday!

Marvel, if you feel like your current Spider-Ham characters aren't strong enough to merchandise, I've got a whole list of re-imagined ones...